"The series centers on a cable news anchor (Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), his newsroom staff (Alison Pill, John Gallagher Jr., Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski) and their boss (Sam Waterston). Together they set out on a patriotic and quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements."

Aaron Sorkin created the series and Greg Mottola directed the pilot episode. This is not Aaron Sorkin's first series to revolve around a TV show. His ABC series Sports Night took a look inside a nightly cable sports program, while the NBC comedy Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip revolved around a weekly sketch comedy show.